United Kingdom: Prince William deeply moved by the courage of seriously ill children evacuated from Gaza

Prince William visited several seriously ill children evacuated from Gaza and currently in the care of the NHS, Kensington Palace has confirmed. The young patients, who arrived in the United Kingdom for specialist care unavailable in the besieged enclave, are among fifty children and members of their families transferred since September as part of a humanitarian mission coordinated by the British government.

According to the palace, the heir to the Crown was “deeply moved by the courage” of these children who endured “experiences that no child should experience”. He also expressed his gratitude to the medical teams who provide their care in a particularly trying context. The first evacuations began in the spring, when two Gazan children were received for urgent care. The system then expanded in the fall, allowing the arrival of dozens of other patients suffering from serious pathologies or war-related injuries. The Ministry of Health said these families are now “in a safe and welcoming environment”.

This initiative is being deployed as London calls for strengthening the delivery of medical aid to Gaza, taking advantage of the recent lull to request an intensification of deliveries of medicine and hospital equipment. The prince’s visit echoes the humanitarian commitment that he increasingly highlights in his public positions. In October, he inaugurated in London the first world memorial dedicated to humanitarian workers, paying tribute to those who intervene in conflict zones, “from Ukraine to Sudan, from Burma to Haiti, and throughout the Middle East”. He then praised “the invisible thread of humanity” represented by humanitarian actors, particularly in Gaza.

Prince William is not his first direct contact with Palestinian realities: in 2018, he became the first member of the royal family to make an official visit to a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israeli offensive, launched after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. While medical needs remain immense, London says it “remains ready to continue its health support to the people of Gaza”.